5 ridiculous stories related to Cristiano Ronaldo

#3 He’s got a nasty nickname for Lionel Messi

FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2015 — It was claimed that Ronaldo had a nasty nickname for Lionel Messi

The truth behind the relationship between Cristiano Ronaldo and the man who rivals him as the world’s best player, Lionel Messi, remains shrouded by rumours and questions. The two men have never truly aimed insults at one another and seem to have a healthy professional respect, even if they clearly want to out-do each other on the pitch.

In 2014, however, famous football journalist Guillem Balague reported different. In his book about Messi, he claimed that Ronaldo wouldn’t even speak his name and had instead nicknamed the Argentine star “mother*cker”, and used the same slur to describe any Real Madrid teammates seen speaking to him.

In turn, the Madrid players supposedly referred to Messi as Ronaldo’s dog or puppet.

Clearly wishing to distance himself from such a nasty report, Ronaldo vehemently denied the claims, stating that they were absolutely false, that he had the utmost respect for Messi and all of his professional colleagues, and that he was instructing his lawyers to consider suing the writers responsible for the allegation.

Whether Ronaldo actually likes Messi is a big question mark but the likelihood of him using such an unprofessional nickname is pretty ridiculous.

About the author

Scott is a veteran MMA writer with over two decades of experience, including his ongoing tenure in Sportskeeda, which began seven years ago. He has written over 3000 pieces for the organization, while also covering football. Before joining Sportskeeda, Scott wrote articles for websites like The Oratory and Inside Pulse MMA.

Scott has a degree in history, which drives his research skills and helps him compile accurate information. His long stint in the field helps Scott provide a clear take on important topics, such as the criticism of promotions regarding fighter pay. While he feels fighters deserve a bigger revenue share, he doesn’t want MMA to suffer with purse-split issues.

Scott’s work has been previously reshared by the former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. He uses credible sources, such as the UFC’s official website, during the writing process.

His dedication to MMA writing won him the Feature Writer of the Month award for Sportskeeda in November 2021.

Outside of work, Scott likes to go to the gym, walk his dog, and travel.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith